2008-06-03

Take Note, Rome: Loss of Biodiversity and Sustainable Farming Practices Are Big Contributors to Hunger. Commentary by Gonzalo Oviedo, BBC News, June 2, 2008. "We have a global food crisis... Unsustainable agricultural policies and technologies, inequitable trade rules, agricultural subsidies that distort the markets, and the systematic marginalisation of small producers lie at the heart of [it]... [along with] chronic under-investment in agriculture in developing countries, and a real neglect of the basic premise that ecosystems have to be in good shape... The... massive expansion of agriculture [over the past 50 years]... has left us with 60% of all ecosystem services degraded, accelerated species extinction, and huge loss in genetic diversity. Currently, four plant species -- wheat, maize, rice and potato -- provide more than half of the plant-based calories in the human diet, while about a dozen animal species provide 90% of animal protein consumed globally. We have already lost three-quarters of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops. As the agricultural frontier has expanded, those farmers previously dependent on [more diverse crops] have converted to cash crops. As traditional varieties and breeds die out, so too do the traditional knowledge and practices of local farmers. Those same practices could now be critical in adapting to climate change." Gonzalo Oviedo is senior advisor on social policy with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (formerly the World Conservation Union).

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